What steps are prescribed for atonement in Leviticus 4:27? The Scenario Addressed Leviticus 4:27: “If any one of the common people sins unintentionally by violating any of the LORD’s commandments and incurs guilt…” Step 1: Recognition of Sin and Guilt • The person becomes aware that he has broken a divine command (vv. 27–28). • Genuine acknowledgment is essential; atonement is never automatic (cf. Psalm 32:5). Step 2: Select a Sin Offering Without Blemish • “He is to bring an unblemished female goat for his sin” (v. 28). • The animal’s perfection pictures the need for a flawless substitute (1 Peter 1:18-19). Step 3: Personal Identification with the Sacrifice • “He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering” (v. 29). • This act transfers guilt symbolically, uniting sinner and substitute (Isaiah 53:6). Step 4: Death of the Substitute • “And slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering” (v. 29). • Bloodshed underscores that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Step 5: Application of the Blood • “The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest at the base of the altar” (v. 30). • The altar is where God meets the sinner; the blood secures cleansing (Leviticus 17:11). Step 6: Burning the Fat on the Altar • “He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the peace offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (v. 31). • The choicest portion is devoted wholly to God, signifying complete consecration. Step 7: Divine Forgiveness Granted • “Thus the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven” (v. 31). • Forgiveness is declared, not earned, foreshadowing the grace fulfilled in Christ (Ephesians 1:7). Foreshadowing Fulfilled in Christ • These precise steps find their ultimate reality in Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). • His once-for-all sacrifice perfects what the Levitical offering prefigured (Hebrews 10:10-14). |
    |